Aweys Shikhey, found guilty at the Old Bailey, also talked of possible attack on football fans leaving White Hart Lane

Selfie taken by Aweys Shikhey at Stansted Airport before his arrest

A UK-based man found guilty on Tuesday of planning terrorist acts in Syria had also discussed carrying out an attack on the Jewish community in Stamford Hill.

Aweys Shikhey, 38, of north London was convicted at the Old Bailey of preparing for acts of terrorism, contrary to section 5 of the Terrorism Act 2006.

The court heard how Somalian-born Shikhey, who worked as a delivery driver, was arrested by counter-terrorism officers as he prepared to board a flight to Turkey, intending to travel on to Syria where he wanted to fight for Isis.

Files found on a laptop seized during the separate investigation in Kenya showed conversations between Shikhey and another Somalian man living in Kenya about targeting the community in Stamford Hill and Tottenham Hotspur fans leaving the club’s White Hart Lane stadium.

Commander Dean Haydon, head of the Metropolitan Police’s Counter Terrorism Command, said: “To his friends and colleagues Shikhey was, on the face of it, leading a normal life here in London. But unbeknown to them and to his wife and family in Holland, he was a supporter of Daesh and had for about a year been planning how he could leave the UK and travel out to join Daesh [Isis].

“Thanks to the information we received from the Kenyan authorities and the good work here by my detectives thereafter, we have been able to thwart his attempts and stop him from joining Daesh and committing terrorist acts over there.”

Officers launched an investigation in February 2017, after they received information from Kenya intelligence officials.

In May 2017, police became aware that Shikhey had booked a flight from Stansted to Istanbul.

Officers arrested Shikhey at the airport before he could board the plane.

During the trial the court was told how Shikhey had written that there were “a lot of Jews” in Stamford Hill in a series of messages to the man in Kenya.

Discussing a possible terror attack in the area, he said it would be best to find AK47s and other automatic weapons, adding: “They could have been taken to Stamford Hill and when people leave from their game.”

Prosecutor Barnaby Jameson told the court this appeared to be a reference to White Hart Lane.

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